Sleep Disorders in Epilepsy Patients: A Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Purpose: Epilepsy and sleep disorders mutually affect each other negatively. The aim of this study was to investigate the common sleep disorders in epilepsy patients in our follow-up and their relationship with disease duration, seizure type and frequency, number and type of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Materials and Methods: 99 patients diagnosed with epilepsy were included in this survey study. Demographic data, duration of epilepsy disease, seizure type and frequency, number and type of AEDs used were recorded by face-to-face questioning. Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), Berlin sleep questionnaire (BSQ) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) questionnaire were applied to all patients. Results: In our epilepsy patients, the number of patients with a PDQI score of 5 points or more was 56 (56.6%), the number of patients with an IQR score of 10 points or more was 9 (9.1%), and the number of patients at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) according to BUA was 53 (53.5%). Conclusion: Our patients had a high rate of RLS, poor sleep quality and increased risk of OSAS. Poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness and OSAS risk were significantly higher in epilepsy patients with RLS compared to those without RLS. We think that the presence of sleep disorders in epileptic individuals should be questioned persistently.

Keywords

• epilepsy
• sleep
• sleep quality
• restless legs syndrome
• obstructive sleep apnea syndrome